Japan 2 week itinerary options: for first-time visitors

Here are a few Japan 2 week itinerary options, which will hopefully be handy for first-time visitors especially. I know how daunting it can be deciding where to go in Japan: there’s too much choice!

I’m very sad when it comes to Japan and am always dreaming up my next trip there, so I like to think I’m fairly qualified to help others! I’ve tried to cover different combinations of cities and countryside in these itinerary options. After a few trips to this amazing country, I’ve become a self-confessed Japan geek. So now I’m always answering questions for friends organising their own trips. Most tend to plan for 2 weeks in Japan, so I thought it was about time I wrote something like this.

Your plans will of course depend on which airport you fly into: one of the Tokyo ones or Kansai (in Osaka Bay) or another. But these itineraries might be a starting point for you. They’ll give you a rough idea of where to start and how long you’ll want to spend in each place. Hint: there are very few places in Japan you won’t want to spend weeks in.

First of all, I should tell you that I’ve written an absolutely mammoth blog post on planning your first trip to Japan, which goes into loads of details about when/where/how to go as well as useful things about stuff like toilets, nudity and hairdryers that you need to know too. I’d recommend reading that before carrying on with this post. You’ll need to sit down with a cup of tea for it, mind.

Let’s get the kettle on and get planning., Onto the 2-week Japan itinerary options…

Japan 2 week itinerary: the classic ‘big sights’

This itinerary will work at any time of year, weather-wise, and it ticks off all of the main cities most people will want to see on their first trip. You will be best off getting a Japan RailPass for this one (see the planning your first trip to Japan post for more on that).

Day 1: Arrive at Tokyo Haneda Aiport (HND) and get into Tokyo city via the monorail and the JR commuter train. Or, arrive at Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT) and get the N’EX train into the city. Although Haneda sounds more complicated, it is quicker than the Narita option. It takes under an hour to get into the city, whereas it takes an hour and 30 minutes from Narita.

Japan 2 week itinerary: a Kansai Airport alternative

This itinerary will work best in spring or autumn, because Kanazawa can be very snowy in winter and too hot in summer. Again, you will be best off getting a Japan RailPass for this. I’ve based it around flying into Kansai but you could also do it from landing in Tokyo just by mixing the order round.

Day 1: Arrive in Kansai Airport (KIX), located on an artificial island in Osaka Bay. Get the Haruka Airport Express train straight to Kyoto. This takes about 1 hour 15 minutes.

Nights 1-4: You’re in Kyoto and have 3 days to explore the city and do some day trips from there. We suggest picking from: Kobe, Nara, Osaka, Amanohashidate.

Day 5: Travel to Tokyo by shinkansen (bullet train). This takes just under 3 hours.

Nights 5-10: You’re in Tokyo and have 4 full days to explore the city.

Day 10: Travel to Kanazawa on the Hokuriku shinkansen in the morning. This takes about 2 hours 30 minutes.

Nights 10-11: You’re in Kanazawa and have almost 2 days to explore this city, including its amazing gardens (pictured below).

Day 12: Travel back to Kyoto by Thunderbird limited express train. This takes about 2 hours.

Night 12: Stay in Kyoto for one final night.

Day 13: Get the Haruka Airport Express train back to Kansai Airport for your flight home.

Japan 2 week itinerary: let’s get tropical

This itinerary will work best in spring or even early summer because it’s tropical. Yes, tropical. In Japan. You weren’t expecting that were you? Crack out the pineapple emoji. You will be best off buying individual train tickets rather than a Japan RailPass as it should work out cheaper that way.

Day 1: Arrive at Tokyo Haneda Aiport (HND) and get into Tokyo city via the monorail and the JR commuter train. Or, arrive at Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT) and get the N’EX train into the city. Although Haneda sounds more complicated, it is quicker than the Narita option. It takes under an hour to get into the city, whereas it takes an hour and 30 minutes from Narita.

Note: the below picture isn’t of anywhere tropical. It’s of Naoshima but I thought it was passable as looking warm. I don’t actually have any of Yakushima. Soz.

Japan 2 week itinerary: a cultural 14 days of history and modern art

This itinerary will be great in any season apart from probably the humidity of summer. You will be best off buying a Japan RailPass.

Day 1: Arrive at Tokyo Haneda Aiport (HND) and get into Tokyo city via the monorail and the JR commuter train. Or, arrive at Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT) and get the N’EX train into the city. Although Haneda sounds more complicated, it is quicker than the Narita option. It takes under an hour to get into the city, whereas it takes an hour and 30 minutes from Narita.

Day 5: Travel to Kobe by shinkansen (bullet train). This takes about 3 hours. Bear in mind that Shin-Kobe (the shinkansen station) isn’t actually in the centre of Kobe and you’ll need to change onto a local train. It’s all v straightforward though.

Nights 5-7: You’re in Kobe and have 2 days to explore the city and maybe do a day trip from there. We suggest picking from Nara and Himeji.

Day 8: Travel to Hiroshima by shinkansen. This will take about an hour and 30 minutes.

Nights 8-9: You’re in Hiroshima and have a full day and a bit to see Hiroshima itself and visit Miiyajima.

Day 10: Travel to Okayama by shinkansen. Then change to a local train to get to Uno. From there, get the ferry to Naoshima.

Nights 10-11: You’re on the art island of Naoshima with about 2 days to see all the art and never want to leave.

Day 11: Travel to Takamatsu by ferry (see gardens and eat udon noodles there if you have time). Then get the Marine Liner train to Okayama. Change there to get the train to Tokyo. The total journey time should be about 4 hours 30 minutes.

Nights 11-12: You’re back in Tokyo to do anything you missed the first time or a day trip. We suggest Hakone, to see Mt. Fuji.